Conversation, interrupted

At the first ever meeting of People Who Stammer (PWS) in the country, Deepa Suryanarayan and Madhoomita Mookerji delve into the murky world of a disorder
that affects far more people than you may think

Shah Rukh Khan may have started a new trend by stammering in 1993 blockbuster Darr, our society still lags behind when it comes to accepting people who stammer in real life.

“Being a Person Who Stammers (PWS) in India is being likened to a gay or lesbian person. Parents chide the child who stammers. The society does not accept people who stammer,” says Dehra Dun-based Dr Satyendra Srivastava, who is in  Mumbai to attend the first-of-its-kind meet for people who stammer.

“We do not get jobs, and if we do, we don't make it to the top. Naturally, the person learns to associate shame,  guilt and fear of rejection with stammering,” says the
50-year-old general practitioner and community health  social worker.

Srivastava, who learnt to cope with the stammering now wants to help others. And so he and a small group of nine people came together in Mumbai on Sunday for a first-of-its-kind meet of Person Who Stammers.

“We are good at talking to our close family, friends and pets. Problems arise when it comes to talking to strangers,” says Srivastava. Many people who stammer are known to have gone to great lengths to avoid talking. “We prefer writing, texting or e-mailing to talking,” explains Srivastava.

None of the people who attended the conference had met each other earlier. “We all know each other by our pseudonyms — Blue Warrior, Satsri, Aakash, on e-groups of PWS,” says Srivastava.

There are many communities, including three on social networking site Orkut  and e-groups for PWS. Srivastava and his friends met up on an e-network managed by Viren Gandhi from Mumbai, which has over 500 members from across the country.  The meeting on Sunday, even though attended by a few, was fruitful. The group has decided to launch The Indian Stammering Association to generate awareness and also to launch a website with information about stammering.

In India, the problem is more widespread than generally acknowledged. Keith Boss, project co-ordinator, International Stuttering Association (ISA), a body formed with member associations, told DNA from the UK that he gets 2-3 emails a week from Indians seeking help.

“I have been talking to Indians who stammer for almost two years… this sparked interest and we began thinking in terms of Indian Stammering Conferences, Asian Stammering Conferences and even holding the tri-annual world conference of the ISA in India. This is now a planned journey. The meet in Mumbai is the first step towards that,” says Boss.